Harvey's Corner - Harvey Firari  

Dedicated to Harvey's writings and musings on Culver and its people

A bench on the academy grounds near Eppley Auditorium - bears the following -

IN HONOR OF HARVEY FIRARI

ENGLISH TEACHER DIRECTOR OF THEATER

1952 - 1967 1968 - 1987

YOU TAUGHT WE LISTENED

YOU MADE THE DIFFERENCE

Harvey Firari, was inducted into the Fine Arts Hall of Fame at Culver Academies

Harvey Firari [also known as Dusty Rogue], who taught for many years at Culver Academy and had a monthly online column called "Small Town," has written several articles about Culver 's History for his column.

Tho I did not know him persoanaly - Harvey was a unique person - with a unique wit and view on life - through his writings and columns in the Culver citizen - we were introduced to him. We saw him in Cafw Max, walking the downtown streets and his smile, his wave and nod to those he met

He also had a website at which he parked his columns - of which he said: “Small Town”(my website) will go dark at the end of November. After a seven-year run, all good things must come to an end'; its curtain call was on Oct 6, 2006 10:45:29 AM [non-working] He continued blogging as Smokeytown and on Dec 31, 2010 9:31:12 PM he bid his bloggers farwell after blogging for twenty years - because of a wicked and vicious disease as he so eloqunetly put it: - "My last few blogs have devoted space to my eye problems, mainly Macular Degeneration, a vicious disease that has wiped out the vision in my right eye and is getting close to shutting down the left eye. If you think I’m looking for sympathy, you’re wrong. By broadcasting my plight, I’m hoping that a cure will be found." - SOMETHING WICKED - August 2010

His columns I have found on Culver history and people are:

The MAXINKUCKEE Boat

Maxinkuckee Playhouse (1950-1961) Part 1

Maxinkuckee Playhouse (1950-1961) Part 3

One Teacher's Reward - George C. Heninger

So Long, Culver ; Hello, Cazenovia

Harvey E. Firari Department: English Position: Instructor - Vedette Advisor Service: 1952 - 1987 Living in: Cazenovia, New York MIlitary: United States Air Force, 1942-1946, European Theatre of Operations College: Carroll College, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1950 B.A.; Northwestern University, 1951 Master of Arts; Indiana University M.A. Consultant: National Commission English, Boston, 1965

Assistant Instructor. What a dynamic instructor! Later he would make an impact for our sons and daughters as director of the theatre, playwright-in-residence, Chairman of the Fine Arts Department, and a member of the National Book Critics Circle.

He is the author of fourteen full-length plays and numerous one-act plays, Harvey (Dusty Rogue)

Crosscut Night, Philip Sandan, Yew Trilogy, Cocktails at Carter's Junction, The Bridegrooms, Vagabond From Indiana, Uncle Jamesie, A Smash Hit, Oh! Johnny!, Patio II & Patio III, Hot Dogs, Teddy, Erma, A Final Summer. (church skits) Buffaloed, Lonesome George, Out of Body, Triple Play, Good Sam, Crosstalk, others. (screenplays) Saints and Heretics, Great Black Hunter, Slam Jackson.

had another book published entitled Ten Unusual Plays for Christian Youth, a collection of "sermon starters."

Ten Unusual Plays for Christian Youth Paperback by Harvey Firari (Author) Paperback: 112 pages Publisher: Vantage Pr; 1 edition (September 1999) Language: English ISBN-10: 0533129176 ISBN-13: 978-0533129171 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches

During October of 1998, the town of Culver held its first scarecrow contest. At that time, I was writing a column for the local paper and decided to cover the contest by creating a crow called D. J. Raven, who on his way to the r adio station crosses paths with some of the scarecrows. He hurries to his post to broadcast a warning that strange creatures had invaded the town. He orders his listeners in Birdland to lay low while he examines the threatening aliens from outer space. What he discovers pretty much constitutes the plot of Big Scare in Small Town. At the conclusion of the column, I wondered if some artist in the community would like to collaborate on turning out a book. Years ago, Esther Powers Miller had lent me the services of her children to appear in plays that I was directing for the Culver Academies. Yes, she would lend me her artistic ability to illustrate the book and began by experimenting with wonderful scarecrow note cards. Only one scarecrow in the book was not among the entries in the scarecrow contests, and I hope you’ll buy the book to guess which one is the interloper. Thanks to Esther’s artistry the book is a best-seller in this area, with a readership from ages four to eighty four, and may be ordered on the Internet (please Google) or purchased at her shop on Main Street in Culver.

Before attending college, he served four years during World War II in the Army Air Forces that included duty in North Africa and Italy. He completed his postgraduate drama study at Yale University.

He directed ninety plays at Culver. Check out Harvey's humorous and insightful musings at http:/www.small-town.net/ Small Town, USA. Harvey retired in 1987 and now lives in Cazenovia, New York.

Firari, Harvey was born on October 30, 1921 in Juneau, Wisconsin, United States. Son of William Herman and Emma (Eckstaedt) Firari

Married March 11, 1955 Nancy Allen Birth: 1929 Death: 1985 Burial: Culver Masonic Cemetery Culver Marshall County Indiana. Children: Fairlie, Robert.

Out of Chaos--Learning
Harvey Firari
The English Journal
Vol. 48, No. 5 (May, 1959), pp. 262-265+278

Harvey Firari in the 1940 Census
First Name: Harvey
Last Name: Firari
Age at Time of Census: 18
Gender: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: American
Est. Birth Year: 1922

Birth Location: Wisconsin
Enumeration District: 11-23
Residence: Ward 1, Portage, Portage City, Columbia, WI
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Other People in Household:
William Firari 48 yrs, Male
Emma Firari 51 yrs, Female
Clarence Firari 21 yrs, Male
Laverne Firari 20 yrs, Male
Harold Firari 13 yrs, Male
Marital Status: Single
Language: English
NARA Publication Number: T627 Microfilm Roll Number: 4466 Line Number: 26 Sheet: A Sheet Number: 7

Harvey Firari
BIRTH 30 Oct 1921Juneau, Dodge County, Wisconsin
DEATH 22 Jul 2016 Cazenovia, Madison County, New York
BURIAL Masonic Cemeteryulver, Marshall County, Indiana
Parents William H. Firari1891 & Emma Eckstaedt

married

Nancy Firari
BIRTH 1929
DEATH 1985
BURIAL Masonic Cemetery Culver, Marshall County, Indiana,

They had:
Fairlie Firari
Robert Firari